CINCINNATI — Evanston residents are not happy after a plan to help block noise from traffic on I-71 has been canceled.
“It’s more or less, we’ll get to it when we get to it," resident Eddie Swain said.
Multiple residents reached out to WCPO 9 News for answers on the status of the project. They said they've been waiting and wondering about it, all while dealing with the ongoing noise from the nearby interstate.
Residents had hoped some kind of barrier would be built like the one in Kentucky. The state installed its first transparent noise-screening panel as part of a pilot project near I-71/75.
"The noise is horrible, especially when the trucks blow a tire or there's a wreck — constant noise," Swain said.
We asked the Ohio Department of Transportation about the project, and ODOT spokesperson Kathleen Fuller told us the project was canceled.
You can watch the detailed breakdown of what happened to the project below:
Fuller said the cancellation comes down to two reasons: The project is considered not "economically reasonable," and ODOT also cites a lack of participation and advocacy from the Evanston Community Council.
The community council is one of the groups that can initiate a petition to the state for this type of project.
"We had to sign a petition for people on the street. And we took a petition, we went up and down the street, got a petition, and we turned it," Swain said. “You came back, and you did another study, you came back and did another study, and last we heard, you said you were going to put up a barrier.”
The noise level in the area hits approximately 76 decibels near the stretch of I-71 by Swain's home. That is equivalent to the noise a garbage disposal or washing machine makes.
But while a garbage disposal only runs while you're using it, residents tell us this level of traffic noise is constant, all day long and sometimes through the night.
“Maybe they should approach Evanston again and talk to the council members; that might be a first step forward for this," Fuller said. “I know people have asked us about planting, doing vegetation, and all of that. Vegetation can work, but it has to be very, very dense.”
WCPO reached out to the Evanston Community Council but has yet to hear back.
